Title: History of the wildlife-livestock interface and transboundary animal diseases in Northern Botswana, 1970-2010.
Project description: Northern Botswana is home to some of the largest wildlife populations on the continent, receiving attention from international conservation organizations and tourism industry alike. The region’s landscape is shared with agropastoral farmers and their livestock, in a matrix of land uses and the associated wildlife-livestock interface. Commercialization of livestock farming in this region has been promoted and/or considered by the government. Currently as well as historically, the respective places of wildlife and livestock in the landscape are much contested, with the two land uses competing for land, and intersecting with political interests, culture and tradition, and values of nature.
In this research project, the student will perform a historiographical study of how the wildlife-livestock interface in this particular area has been shaped. Specifically, the study will look at the role of transboundary animal diseases and societal responses in the shaping of this landscape. Trypanosomiasis, CBPP and FMD are the main diseases of concern. How did they and measures to control them impacted on wildlife, livestock, farmers and the relations between them? The research will involve (1) primary data collection in the form of oral histories from farmers in the region, as well as from policy-makers and administrators, and (2) archival research in the National Archives in Gaborone. The fieldwork will be conducted jointly with the project lead between September and December 2023.
Criteria:
- Minimum BSc qualification with a GPA not less than 3.5
- Background in social or environmental sciences
- Excellent English reading and writing skills
- Prior research and publications will be an added advantage
Supervision: the student will be co-supervised by dr. Nlingisisi Babayani (ORI), dr. Tico McNutt and dr. Ben Heermans (WildEntrust). Daily supervision will be provided by Wisse van Engelen, MSc (University of Cologne).
Application: interested candidates are asked to send their CV and a letter of motivation (max. 200 words) to wisse.vanengelen@uni-koeln.de before the 31st of March 2023.
Further information: this project is part of the ERC advanced grant ‘Rewilding the Anthropocene’ project, and falls under work package 7 ‘foot-and-mouth disease’. The project is a collaboration between the University of Cologne, Okavango Research Institute and WildEntrust Africa. The student will be exempted from paying tuition fees and will receive logistical support. The student is expected to cover their own costs of living.
Contact: for questions about the position or application procedure, please send an email to wisse.vanengelen@uni-koeln.de.
